Roger E. Mosley

[koganbot]

Playing T.C. in Magnum, P.I., Roger E. Mosley and the writers pulled off something difficult and risky, especially for a black man: creating a character who's strong but with a tendency towards slightly buffoonish self-deprecation – "good humor" being the character's way of getting by while being taken advantage of but also potentially turning into the character's crutch. This fit the show's conception: each of the four leads has weaknesses he retreats into and which grate on the others; then the case and whatever predicament Magnum's gotten into call them to action, and through the action they rise into themselves. Although the tone is very different from Buster Keaton – much more life-sized and relaxed – it's as if in each episode the ensemble goes through a Keaton-like transformation, finding purpose, achieving grace in motion.



There was a moment – don't remember its context, the particular story, but T.C. does something noble for someone, maybe volunteers to help some little kid with a paper route, and he does it well, and then when no one's looking you can see him being a bit smugly proud of himself.

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